Legion: ‘Chapter 19’ Review

So, for those of you who were expecting this review on Wednesday, or at all in the last few days, I apologize for the lateness. Due to some technical issues and other dilemmas this week, I was unable to complete it on time. Without further delay, the season finale review!

No villain ever thinks of themselves in that way, as all their actions are motivated by their desire to do what they believe is right. For them, the role of hero is subjective and not as well defined. For David in this jaw dropping season finale, he is still the hero, but that’s just his perspective.

‘Chapter 19’ opens with an amazing intro as David finally gets the battle with Farouk he has been waiting for, and visually it is splendid. Taking a que from the X-men comics, Farouk and David each take in multiple forms as their astral projections battle for supremacy. Between the animated psychic battle and the accompanying musical number are reminiscent of the pair’s early dance battle, though not as unique. Even still, a very entertaining way to depict a fight the show has been building towards all season.

Syd’s confrontation with David was a great emotional moment and provided the audience with a sliver of hope that everything they have seen up until now was due to the machinations of the Shadow King. For a few seconds the viewer is allowed to think that David and Syd may be okay, but she is not buying into David’s lies anymore. It is a heart wrenching moment, and one of the episode’s highlights.

This episode also marks a turn for Syd that brings her closer to the future version previously seen by David. For someone whose spent her whole life emotionally isolated and dependant on others, her decision makes it readily apparent that she has grown substantially as a character these past two seasons.

Seeing David’s inner conflict, represented by multiple versions of himself, was effective is showing David’s true nature cracking through his best intentions. He loves Syd, and like any good villain will do whatever it takes to protect what he views as important, no matter how disturbing the costs. In fact, this episode reveals to the reader how far David’s willing to go to keep his delusion of being the hero, and it’s incredibly dark.

That one dialogue exchange with Syd at the very end of the episode sums up where David’s new standing in the series. Regardless of what David has said about the Shadow King controlling him and how much he cares for Syd, that one moment signifies the villain he has become.

Lenny’s role in the larger story has been solidified, and all the build up this season for her character’s relationship with David has paid off. I figured that she was being set up for something larger in her last spotlight episode, and it plays right into this season’s jaw dropping finale.

It would make sense that David’s breaking point was everyone he loved turning against him – or at least that is his perspective – and it was heartbreaking. David has done horrible things, and one of them committed this episode perfectly cements his new status quo in the series. Despite everything that happened this episode, I doubt that his friends are going to give up on him – though he is mean to end the world so that’s probably a concern as well. David’s confrontation with his inner voices has reveals that he’s not entirely bad, and that there is hope for him.

This new status quo also brings David to how the Shadow King has been perceived thus far in the series. Farouk is amoral, dangerous and sees those without his abilities – or his high-power level – as being beneath him and easily manipulated. They are more very much alike, which explains why Farouk attempted to get David to love him, something that was revealed near the episode’s climax.

In the end Legion did something very simple, yet oddly unique. Hawley and company made audiences think they were watching the origin of hero, but then quickly – and quite brutally – pulls the rug out from under them. It remains to be seen if those slivers of hope mean David will seek some redemption, or if he can even come back from what he did to Syd. So many questions and a long wait for answers.

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Published by Mathew Simoes

Mathew ‘JJ’ Simoes is a human being (?) whose existence is dedicated to movies, TV shows, comic books and other associated items of entertainment. He’s a writer for this fine web establishment and studies at a Canadian University. His dreams are typically in comic book format.
View all posts by Mathew Simoes

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